Far Away
by badly-knitted
Summary: Winter is dismal and the workday is dragging, but at least Dee and Ryo can dream of where they'd rather be. Set after Vol. 7 and written for a prompt at fic promptly.


**Title:** Far Away

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Dee, Ryo.

 **Rating:** PG

 **Setting:** After Vol. 7

 **Summary:** Winter is dismal and the workday is dragging, but at least Dee and Ryo can dream of where they'd rather be.

 **Word Count:** 1052

 **Written For:** My own prompt 'Any, Any, Someplace far away,' at fic_promptly.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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Work was Hell. The weather was cold and wet, the precinct's heating system so old and cranky it didn't feel all that much warmer indoors than it was out, which meant if you got caught in the rain you'd most likely stay damp for the rest of the day, and everybody seemed to have the cold that was doing the rounds. There was an endless chorus of coughs, sniffles and sneezes echoing throughout the squad room, making it difficult to concentrate on anything work-related. On top of that, because so many people were out sick, those who were less sick and still more or less able to work were pulling overtime. The extra pay was nice, but Dee couldn't wait for his twelve-hour shift to be over.

At the desk opposite Dee's, Ryo sneezed again, blew his nose, and dropped the tissue in the wastebasket beside him before focussing once more on the screen of his computer. Tapping busily away at the keyboard, he was trying to get as much of his report written as possible before the next sneeze came along and sent his thoughts into disarray again. Reaching for his mug, he picked it up to take a drink and discovered it was empty.

"Damn, I need more coffee."

"Yeah, me too," Dee replied, draining the last half inch from his own mug. "Stay put, I'll get it. My train of thought got derailed anyway." He stared at his own computer screen and shook his head. "I'm making so many mistakes I can't even make sense of what I just typed." He stood up, snagging Ryo's mug off his partner's desk, and made his way over to the coffee machine, returning a couple of minutes later with both mugs brimful of hot, black coffee, praying he wouldn't sneeze on the way and spill it.

Ryo looked up with a grateful smile as Dee set his mug down within easy reach. "Thanks, Dee." He picked it up, cradling it in both hands, and took a cautious sip. He couldn't really taste it, and couldn't smell anything at all, but the heat was more than welcome.

"Here, take these." Dee handed over a couple of tablets.

"What are they?"

"Vitamin C. Supposed to be good for colds." He smiled wryly. "Must be true; my cold's never been better."

"Worth a try I guess." Obediently, Ryo knocked back the pills with a mouthful of coffee, and promptly swore in Japanese. "Damnit! Forgot how hot the damned coffee is."

Slumped at his desk, Dee sniggered, then sneezed. "Good thing nobody but me can understand what you just said!" Swallowing his pills dry, he sipped his coffee carefully to help wash then down. "I hate winter," he grumbled.

"I'm not a big fan of it either," Ryo admitted. "All I can think about right now is how nice it would be to be at home, curled up on the sofa with a good book. I think I could happily stay there until spring."

"Sounds nice, but what I want is to be somewhere else, someplace far away. A place where the sun is shining, the sky's blue, and you don't have to bundle up like an Eskimo just to step outside."

Ryo leaned back in his chair, stretching his long legs out, both hands still wrapped around his coffee mug and soaking up the heat as he took careful little sips. "Sounds wonderful."

"A tropical island paradise maybe, with those white sandy beaches that go on forever, and crystal clear water lapping against the shore. Some palm trees along the shoreline for shade."

"Mmmm, but date palms, not coconut; did you know more people get killed each year by falling coconuts than by sharks?"

"Seriously?"

"I read it somewhere, but I don't remember where."

"Huh. Okay, date palms. I guess falling dates wouldn't do much damage." He took a sip of coffee, thinking. "And a beach house with a porch that runs all the way around. Oooh, and hammocks strung between the palms, where we can lay and relax in the shade."

Ryo smirked over the rim of his mug. "Have you ever tried a hammock?"

"Nope, but I've always wanted to."

"I did once; getting in was tricky, but getting out was easy. Every time I moved it tipped up and I wound up on the ground."

"Wish I could've seen that!" Dee chuckled.

"It wasn't what I'd call relaxing."

"No, I suppose not. Okay, scratch the hammocks, we'll just spread towels on the sand or something. Either that or use beach chairs."

"Either would do, I'm not fussy. I like the beach idea. We could go swimming in the sea, then laze around in the shade to dry off. Maybe we could fish, or just take long walks." Ryo's expression had turned dreamy as he pictured the idyllic setting.

"Beach barbecues, cooking what we've caught."

"Lying on the sand looking up at stars that seem close enough to touch." Eyes closed, shutting out the squad room, Ryo drained his mug and sat in silence for a few minutes, daydreaming. Finally he opened his eyes, set his empty mug down, and pulled his chair close to his desk again. "It's a lovely dream, but that's all it is," he sighed. "We're still stuck in this miserable New York winter and there's work to do."

"Same old daily routine," Dee agreed. "But at least we can dream, that's better than nothing. Someday we'll find a place like that, and we'll take a vacation; maybe next winter. It'll give us something to look forward to."

"Not to mention something to save up for," Ryo teased. Dee was notorious for spending money as soon as he got it.

"I can save, when I have a good enough reason." Dee turned his attention back to his own computer screen, trying to sort the mess of typos into something intelligible, but in the back of his mind he was plotting. He'd show Ryo. He'd save up, and then next winter, when the weather got as cold and grey and cheerless as it was right now, he'd take his baby to that faraway tropical paradise. Two weeks of sunshine and warmth, with New York and work a distant memory. He smiled to himself. He felt warmer just thinking about it.

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The End


End file.
